Motor vehicles have rear compartments and trunks for storing luggage and other articles. Separate cases mounted the backs of motor vehicles have also been used for additional article storage spaces. Bicycle racks are connected to trailer hitches mounted on the rear frames of motor vehicles for carrying one or more bicycles. The trunks and bicycle racks are relatively large and bulky and not amenable to compact storage on and within the vehicle interior when not in use. Separate cargo carriers have been designed to connect directly to conventional trailer hitches mounted on the frames of motor vehicles. Examples of carriers attachable to hitches on motor vehicles are disclosed in the following U.S. patents.
P. A. Oster in U.S. Pat. No. 5,427,289 discloses a carrier attachable to a trailer hitch having a hinged tray or shelf that can be lowered to a horizontal position to support cargo and pivoted to an upright storage position.
A. G. Lipscomb in U.S. Pat. No. 6,095,387 describes and shows a cargo carrier attachable to a vehicle for transporting bicycles. The carrier has a main support bar and multiple support rods interconnected to provide a platform for supporting cargo.
J. S. Belinky and D. A. Young in U.S. Pat. No. 6,202,909 disclose a cargo carrier having an elongated drawbar and a platform mounted on the drawbar. The drawbar has a forward end telescoped into a conventional vehicle trailer hitch.
L. T. LeMay and T. D. Trotter in U.S. Pat. No. 6,293,451 describes a cargo carrier having a telescoping assembly to mount a cargo unit to a trailer hitch attachable to a vehicle. The telescoping assembly is operable to longitudinally move the cargo unit toward and away from the vehicle.